Lemon-Aid Personal Computers: Buying, Selling, and Upgrading Your PC

Sarah Robertson is the trade, scholarly, and reference editor of the
Canadian Book Review Annual.

Jim Sanderson is manager of Toronto-based Dominion Business Machines and
a regular contributor to the computer section of The Toronto Star.
Notwithstanding its subtitle, this concise and accessible guide is
essentially about purchasing a personal computer; discussion of selling
and upgrading is limited to two separate chapters.

The book is divided into two parts. Individual chapters in Part 1 are
devoted to such topics as the PC marketplace, deciding what kind of PC
to buy, the main components of a PC, software basics, PC applications,
buying used or new, and potential post-sale problems. The treatment of
some topics—notably Y2K—is perfunctory at best, but the author makes
up for it by addressing in detail such issues as brand-name versus
generic, how and where to purchase a PC, and after-sale support. Part 2
consists of product reviews of selected desktop computers, monitors, and
printers (produced by both established and lesser-known manufacturers)
available in Canada. There is a glossary and index but, unfortunately,
no bibliography.

Although Sanderson recommends IBM-compatible systems for those engaged
in mainstream personal computing, he includes Apple products in the
review section. Because the cutoff period for information in the book
appears to be early 1998, the popular iMacs are not covered. As for the
products that are reviewed, while specifications have inevitably changed
since the book’s publication, Sanderson’s general observations about
the products themselves are still valid. Lemon-Aid Personal Computers
should prove useful to first-time and repeat buyers alike.